Let me first start by saying I am a Firm (pun intended) believer in the benefits of compression garments. I have been wearing compression for decades. Increased blood flow, decreased muscle vibration, increased proprioception, decreased post exercise soreness, quicker recovery from hard efforts - some of the benefits of compression in my opinion. These short are very well made. The stitching holds strong and does not chafe. I like the full length of the short extending to just above the knee, long enough to provide compression to the whole thigh, but not too long. I also like how the shorts comes up close to the waist. Not a hip hugger short. The shorts give a little support to the lower back and tummy. The draw string at the waist is long enough that it doesn't pull out in the wash, but not bulky on the run. A couple of areas I see room for improvement: The hem on the legs is too narrow, and can give the feeling of too much compression on that area, especially on long efforts. I would like to see this hem twice the depth to even out that pressure area. The two side pockets for the nutrition, (gels most likely) are too deep (6.5in / 14cm). If one uses a product with shorter packaging, they can be hard to reach in these pockets. Finally, for me, the jury is still out on the Quadriceps MCS. I feel like this is a gimmick and doesn't provide additional benefit to that of straight on compression.
